Please help me plan our exploratory trip to plan a retirement-in-Europe second home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on what you are looking for in terms of experience. DH and I have considered this and looked at Lille and Ghent. Very affordable by US standards and Lille is appealing because of ease of traveling throughout EU. Ghent is less convenient but we have family in Belgium and prefer it to Brussels. I am on the fence about Antwerp. I also love Strasburg, but I think we'd get bored there.

I won't do Spain, Portugal, or southern France because of the heat. I'd like to explore Germany a bit more to see if that's a better fit. Looking at Hamburg.

Don't know if this is useful to you though because I don't know what you prioritize. But these places would likely fit your budget and none are rural.

Lille is grey half the year. Although Ghent probably is too.

I'm aware and don't mind. I like rain and dislike heat. Though we'd also likely be there primarily in warm months.

[Anonymous]

You're early 60s, correct? based on your H being "upper 70s" in 15 years.

I wouldn't live further than a 20 minute fast drive from the equivalent of an American tertiary hospital. You are entering peak stroke, MI and head bleed (fall) years, and where you get initial care makes all the difference in an acute event. By my criteria, almost none of the Italian or French countryside qualifies. For the same reason, I personally wouldn't retire to much of Maine, the Smoky Mountains, Martha's Vineyard, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're early 60s, correct? based on your H being "upper 70s" in 15 years.

I wouldn't live further than a 20 minute fast drive from the equivalent of an American tertiary hospital. You are entering peak stroke, MI and head bleed (fall) years, and where you get initial care makes all the difference in an acute event. By my criteria, almost none of the Italian or French countryside qualifies. For the same reason, I personally wouldn't retire to much of Maine, the Smoky Mountains, Martha's Vineyard, etc.

Why so anxious for medical treatment when you’re living no life at all?

[Anonymous]

Look at Porto, Portugal if you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're early 60s, correct? based on your H being "upper 70s" in 15 years.

I wouldn't live further than a 20 minute fast drive from the equivalent of an American tertiary hospital. You are entering peak stroke, MI and head bleed (fall) years, and where you get initial care makes all the difference in an acute event. By my criteria, almost none of the Italian or French countryside qualifies. For the same reason, I personally wouldn't retire to much of Maine, the Smoky Mountains, Martha's Vineyard, etc.

Why so anxious for medical treatment when you’re living no life at all?

DP but my seemingly super healthy DH had a heart attack young (50) and it has drastically changed the way we travel and think about access to medical care long term. It's a totally valid concern.

OP - no advice but this sounds dreamy!

[Anonymous]

San Sebastian

[Anonymous]

OP here and just checking back for the first time. Thanks for all the responses!

Based on your responses, so far we have: Toulon, Ghent, Porto, Lille, San Sebastian. Please do keep them coming!

Yes, by well-traveled, I do mean that we've visited all these countries several times (among many others), and have narrowed our list. I don't need more than 2 days in each place to know if it's something to make the list for the next round of much longer visits. As for medical care, I'm late 50s and my husband is a little older. None of our parents needed medical attention before their 80s, which is why we feel okay about a 15-year plan to own. But yes, we'd like to be no more than an hour away from a good hospital. We don't mind heat, but will probably avoid being there in August.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're early 60s, correct? based on your H being "upper 70s" in 15 years.

I wouldn't live further than a 20 minute fast drive from the equivalent of an American tertiary hospital. You are entering peak stroke, MI and head bleed (fall) years, and where you get initial care makes all the difference in an acute event. By my criteria, almost none of the Italian or French countryside qualifies. For the same reason, I personally wouldn't retire to much of Maine, the Smoky Mountains, Martha's Vineyard, etc.

Why so anxious for medical treatment when you’re living no life at all?

DP but my seemingly super healthy DH had a heart attack young (50) and it has drastically changed the way we travel and think about access to medical care long term. It's a totally valid concern.

OP - no advice but this sounds dreamy!

It's a valid concern but you just need a plan in place, you don't need to live right next to a hospital. My dad had two heart attacks on middle age and will be monitored by a cardiologist for the rest of his life. He just had a pacemaker put in at 75. But my parents live in a place without a coronary care unit. However he has a great cardiologist with privileges at the local hospital and relationships with practices at the hospital an hour away, and the one 3 hours away. He never skips an appointment and he always takes his meds. They do preventative care whenever possible.

It's worth it to them to live where they want (small Colorado mountain town). You need to do what makes life worth living, and not just focus your whole life around not dying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm French and would love to buy a little French chateau to the west of Paris, easy car ride to the coast of Normandy. I saw one during the pandemic that was really cute, but DH wasn't on board. (Yes, I know all about maintenance.)

Here's one...
https://www.jamesedition.com/real_estate/loches-france/loire-valley-sumptuous-and-powerful-18th-century-chateau-47-hectares-15th-century-keep-15378257

OP here. Probably not looking for something quite so grand or expensive. But the houses in France are surprisingly affordable!

[Anonymous]

What about Aix-en-Provence?

[Anonymous]

Please don't. There are enough of you all here already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm French and would love to buy a little French chateau to the west of Paris, easy car ride to the coast of Normandy. I saw one during the pandemic that was really cute, but DH wasn't on board. (Yes, I know all about maintenance.)

Here's one...
https://www.jamesedition.com/real_estate/loches-france/loire-valley-sumptuous-and-powerful-18th-century-chateau-47-hectares-15th-century-keep-15378257

Thanks, PP, but that's in the Loire valley. The chateau I saw a few years ago near Paris was a little pocket handkerchief of a castle, on proportional land, in the 19th century style. Just darling.

Oh, and while we're talking chateaux, I also saw a very small chateau fort (fortified medieval castle), in a larger than usual water-filled moat. It looked like a little chateau garden island, with drawbridge and everything. Its owner was AirBnB-ing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don't. There are enough of you all here already.

Hm, but it's okay for you to be in DC enough to participate on DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is different, but my first preference would be a country where I speak the language. Are you ok with grey and rainy weather most of the year? Do you want to be near the ocean? City or small town? I would definitely go rent somewhere for a few months before committing.

Same. If I move abroad in retirement it will be to Spain because I speak Spanish. If you'll only live there half of the year, the weather doesn't matter as much because you'll pick the nice half, though I would never live somewhere perpetually cloudy.

So, I would really pick a country online and then go and try three different cities and narrow down from there.

I think all the places you would pick would have a decent english speaking expat community. Most places do.

And, I think it goes without saying that you'd need to figure out a way to live there legally like EU Citizenship or a visa. Anyone well travelled is aware of the need to get the legalities squared away.

[Anonymous]

Rent. You can have the $800k earn dividends to pay for rental. Not sure why you need to stay in one place.